The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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Trackmania Formally Joins the 2026 Esports Nations Cup Line-Up
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that the racing title Trackmania will be featured as a competitive game in the 2026 Esports Nations Cup.
- Ubisoft’s racing title Trackmania has been officially confirmed as a competitive game for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup.
- The tournament is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026.
- Trackmania is the second game announced for the event, joining Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the nation-vs-nation competition lineup.
Savvy Games Group Partners With NEOM For Accelerator Programs
Savvy Games Group and the Saudi Arabian mega-city project NEOM have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate their respective gaming accelerator programs.
- Savvy Games Group and NEOM have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate their respective gaming startup incubator programs, the Nine66 Incubator and the Level Up Accelerator.
- The partnership creates a formal pipeline where startups graduating from the Savvy Nine66 program transition into the NEOM Level Up Accelerator for advanced support.
- Both Savvy Games Group and NEOM are owned and operated by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as part of the Vision 2030 initiative.
First Details on Esports World Cup 2026
The Esports World Cup Foundation has released initial details regarding the 2026 Esports World Cup, a multi-week global competition scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 to August 23, 2026.
- The 2026 Esports World Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 to August 23, featuring a total prize pool of $75 million USD.
- The event will host over 2,000 players and 200 clubs from more than 100 countries competing across 25 tournaments and 24 different game titles.
- The Club Championship prize pool has been increased to $30 million, with the winning club set to receive $7 million.
PlayVS Acquires Vanta Esports
PlayVS, a North American leader in scholastic and collegiate esports, has acquired Vanta Esports, a youth development platform specializing in coaching and mentorship.
- PlayVS has acquired the youth esports development platform Vanta Esports for an undisclosed financial amount.
- The acquisition adds 3,000 K–12 schools to the existing PlayVS network, further consolidating its position in the scholastic and collegiate esports market.
- PlayVS intends to integrate Vanta’s COPPA-compliant, coaching-led platform into its ecosystem to enhance competitive gaming, mentorship, and educator enablement.
Olympic Council of Asia Signs 10-Year Strategic Partnership With Tencent Esports
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has entered into a ten-year strategic partnership with Tencent Esports, designating the company as the official esports technology partner for the organization.
- The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has signed a 10-year strategic partnership naming Tencent Esports as its official esports technology partner.
- Tencent Esports will implement its Tencent Esports Competition System (ECS) to standardize and manage technical operations for upcoming OCA esports competitions.
- Yati Zhang, director of Tencent Esports, has been appointed as the OCA esports manager to oversee the development of the Asian esports event ecosystem.
Luminosity Gaming Sold to Original Founder
In January 2026, Luminosity Gaming was reacquired by its original founder, Steve Maida, marking a significant leadership transition for the esports organization.
- Luminosity Gaming has been reacquired by its original founder, Steve Maida, following a period of ownership by Vertiqal Studios.
- The purchase price for the Luminosity asset was C$300,000, with an additional C$125,000 payment contingent on future revenue collection.
- Under the terms of the deal, Vertiqal Studios retains all historical debts, liabilities, and unpaid creator obligations incurred prior to the ownership change.
MadHouse TV to Broadcast Brazilian League of Legends Championship Competitions
MadHouse TV, a Brazil-based content creation entity formed through a partnership between the Podpah Group and FURIA, has secured the broadcasting rights for the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL).
- MadHouse TV has secured the broadcasting rights for the 2026 Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL).
- The channel's debut coverage of the 2026 CBLOL season is scheduled to begin on January 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. local time.
- MadHouse TV is a collaborative content creation project established between the Podpah Group and FURIA, which officially launched in March 2025.
MOONTON Partners With PGL for ML:BB Competition in Europe
MOONTON Games has entered into a strategic partnership with international tournament operator PGL to expand the presence of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) in the European market.
- MOONTON Games has partnered with tournament operator PGL to launch the inaugural PGL MLBB Challengers, a new tier-2 competition series for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in Europe.
- The competition begins with an open qualifier on January 13, 2026, utilizing a single-elimination, Best-of-One (BO1) format.
- The top eight teams from the open qualifier will advance to the PGL MLBB Challengers Main Event, scheduled to take place from January 16 to January 18, 2026.
Prodigy Agency Merges With SEG
Prodigy Agency, a Toulouse-based esports and gaming firm, has officially merged with the international talent agency SEG.
- Prodigy Agency has merged with international talent agency SEG to form a unified esports and gaming division.
- Financial terms of the merger between the two privately owned companies were not disclosed.
- Prodigy Agency founders Jérôme Coupez and Manon Lagarrigue will continue to lead the agency as CEO and COO, respectively, while SEG Esports Division Director Rowan Stroo will join the management team.
iBUYPOWER Sponsors Monster Energy’s fl0m Mythical LAN 2026
iBUYPOWER has officially re-entered the Counter-Strike esports landscape by securing a sponsorship deal for the Monster Energy’s fl0m Mythical LAN 2026.
- iBUYPOWER has returned to the Counter-Strike esports scene by sponsoring the Monster Energy’s fl0m Mythical LAN 2026, marking the company's first major involvement since its departure following a match-fixing scandal.
- The Mythical LAN 2026 is scheduled for January 9–11, 2026, at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas with a total prize pool of $30,000.
- The event features eight competing teams: M80, NRG, SkinRave Esports, Marsborne, BOSS, Team VOCA, regain, and Phoenix.
Important Dates for the 2026 League of Legends Esports Season
Riot Games has announced the official schedule and structural updates for the 2026 League of Legends esports season, which spans major competitive regions including the United States, Brazil, South Korea, China, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe.
- The 2026 League of Legends World Championship will be held in North America, with early stages at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, and the final hosted in New York City.
- The 'First Stand' tournament, featuring eight teams from global leagues, is scheduled for March 16–22, 2026, at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Regional league play begins in January 2026: LCK and LPL start January 14, LCP on January 16, LEC and CBLOL on January 17, and the LCS on January 24.
Esports Nations Cup: Funding and Structural Details
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has announced the structural framework and funding details for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a global tournament featuring national teams.
- The Esports World Cup Foundation has earmarked $20 million for its 2026 Esports Nations Cup to support national team programs, including travel, logistics, and promotional activities.
- National Team Partners must undergo a multi-stage approval process by January 31, 2026, to manage regional qualifiers and coordinate national representation.
- While over 200 countries and territories are approved for participation, the Foundation expects actual participation to be lower, effectively increasing the available funding per approved nation.